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Magnum Alburostre White 2022

De Vini

Alburostre is an organic, biodynamic, and natural white wine made by Christophe Bosque (De Vini) in the Nantes region from the Folle-Blanche grape variety. It comes from vines growing in Gorges (Loire-Atlantique), on the winemaker's estate, on gabbro soils. Classified as a Vin de France. Folle-Blanche or Gros-Plant is a typical grape variety of the Nantes region, where it has been known since the 16th century and thrives on gabbro soils. Very suitable for distillation, it is also a grape variety used in Armagnac and Cognac. It typically produces low-alcohol, pale-colored wines: Alburostre is all of these things.

Vinification

The organic folle-blanches harvested for Alburostre are pressed directly, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and then the wine is aged for nine months on lees in stoneware jars. No fining, sulfiting, or filtration.

Tasting

Alburostre means "white-beak" in old French. Aside from the paleness of its color—typical of folle-blanche—there is nothing inexperienced about it. It is a very beautiful, easy-drinking white wine (10 degrees alcohol), supple, pleasant, chiseled, and pure. A beautiful yeasty fermentation note rises above its simple description to envelop the palate and further accentuate the wine's length. Very gourmet: reserve it for the finest smoked salmon, seafood, and even caviar. The winemaker recommends salmon tartare with coriander, pollack steak with beurre blanc, or steamed barnacles.

Learn more about Christophe Bosque and De Vini

De Vini, along with the Vinilibre winery, is the multifaceted business of Christophe Bosque, originally from Saint-Nazaire. He has always been passionate about wine. We are particularly interested in his local creations, produced from his vineyard of some two hectares and fermented in buried vats in the Nantes style - a true reinvention of Muscadet (outside the appellation) in natural mode.

Gabbro Fondu

After spending years as a merchant, importer, then wine merchant, this former cameraman with a BTS in oenology-viticulture acquired a few plots (two hectares) of Melon de Bourgogne vines in Gorges, in Loire-Atlantique, near Clisson in 2017. The soils there are made up of gabbro on a granite substrate, a pedological configuration specific to the Nantes region and particularly to Clisson. Christophe is full of praise for this type of soil.

Muscadet for the better

Christophe's vintages may come from grapes purchased from the best French terroirs, particularly in Languedoc, but the winemaker retains a special affection for his vines, which he maintains with passion and attention to the terroir. A touch of humor and a sense of pun can be seen on his labels and in his appellations, but in the bottle, they are serious, off-the-beaten-track wines, just the way he likes them.

Vin de France Viognier White 2022,

Domaine des Miquettes

This Viognier from Domaine des Miquettes is a beautiful single-varietal cuvée from the Rhône Valley, classified as a Vin de France and awarded the Écocert organic label.

Vinification

Viognier, as its name suggests, is made entirely from the noble Viognier grape variety from the Rhône Valley, its region of origin, where it gives its best. The grapes grew on gneiss, granite, and loess soils. The aromatic richness of this Viognier from Domaine des Miquettes is enhanced by the terracotta vinification process, consisting of a ten-day maceration followed by pressing and aging for eight months in kvevri (a Georgian-style buried terracotta jar).

Tasting

This is a distinguished, fresh, pleasant, and easy-drinking Rhône Viognier. It exudes rare citrus fruits, including bergamot, and is very light on the palate. Its floral, fruity, and mineral notes are very opulent within a magnificent, fresh framework. This superb success from Domaine des Miquettes is one of those providential whites that goes with everything. However, we recommend smoked salmon https://culinaries.fr/producteurs/lionel-durot/ or any other smoked seafood, and of course fresh oysters.

Learn more about Domaine des Miquettes

Domaine des Miquettes, in the Saint-Joseph appellation (Ardèche), is run by Paul Estève and Chrystelle Vareille, who are passionate about Georgian winemaking techniques. At the heart of this centuries-old viticulture is the kvevri, the buried jar where the entire winemaking process takes place. They also have unburied tinajas (Spanish jars) for fermentation and maceration, while kvevris are used for aging. No sulfites are added to the wines of Domaine des Miquettes. The astringency of the tannins is polished by the terracotta, which produces a velvety texture, a fruity and supple substance.

The Estate

Paul Estève learned his trade from René-Jean Dard and François Ribo, two great figures of natural wine in the Rhône Valley. With Chrystelle, he gradually rebuilt the family estate until it reached 4.3 hectares. The plots, located between 300 and 450 meters above sea level, rest on a granite base with light mica and gneiss soils. The agriculture is organic (Ecocert certification) and biodynamic. The soils are worked by horse or winch and pickaxe, and the harvest is manual. No chemical inputs are added to the vineyard work and winemaking.

Skin-Contact Rafling White 2021

Fréderic Cossard

Classified as a Vin de France, Skin Contact Rafling is a wine resulting from a fairly extensive skin maceration: hence the presence of "Skin Contact" on the label. "Rafling" is a play on words relating to the maceration on stems (whole bunches) and the name of the Riesling grape variety. It is a dense and robust wine that is both round and straightforward, elegant and full of personality. Our national Frédéric Cossard, as comfortable with Burgundian-style winemaking (but without additives) as with the multi-colored refinements of merchant winemaking, offers us here a Riesling from twenty-five-year-old biodynamic vines harvested in Alsace on clay-limestone soil. Maceration is three weeks in whole bunches. Don't worry too much about food and wine pairings, this one is made for all occasions and can even compete with dishes that we usually think are reserved for red wine. Its aging potential—at least ten years—is generous.

To find out more

Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful wine-growing practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice which are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a time as a wine broker before creating the domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine merchant house and purchased organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais vintages. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular plowing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less “regional” bottles, Frédéric’s vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.